Arrival: Chapter 1.17 (Kiyoshi)

Kiyoshi rode in the back of the most unheroic looking hatchback Audi driven by the Raven himself, Ian Coleman. On the backseat beside him was the Raven’s adopted daughter Charlie, glaring daggers into the back of Kiyoshi’s head. Kiyoshi kept his eyes firmly pointed out the window for the 15 minute car ride from the Raven’s home to Ravenhold Academy, the school for heroes. Kiyoshi could almost hear Aaron’s excited voice in his head… and the desolate sadness in his voice that always followed. 

The Raven pulled through a gate into an empty parking lot and turned off the car, “Here we are kids, Ravenhold!”

“I’ve been here many, many times dad.” Charlie said, bored.

Kiyoshi froze, his black cat’s tail in his hands as he wringed it nervously. He stared out the front windshield of the car, straight up at the dozen or so large red brick buildings that made up the Ravenhold Academy campus, larger and more grand than anything Kiyoshi had a right to be a part of. He wanted to flee, he itched to turn invisible to teleport away but the more he desired to do so the more his brain filled with the static of the power suppressing collar.

Raven and Charlie both got out of the car, going for the trunk to get their bags. With the car doors left open, the Raven’s voice traveled to Kiyoshi,  “Now, Kiyoshi, I got you the basics of what you’d need; a few uniforms shirts and pants, a few casual outfits, underwear, pajamas, toothbrush, et cetera,” Ian said, “Also what you were taken into custody with.”

Woodenly, Kiyoshi stepped out of the car and took the bag offered to him. “Sorry.” He mutters. The bag is heavy in his arms, way too much to give him for free, he’s done nothing to earn it, he needs to do something to earn it.

“No need to apologize,” The Raven gave him a warm smile, Ian wasn’t what one expected of a hero, he wasn’t buff but had a slender and fit build like an acrobat, he was quite tall, but he had a soft face with short hair and a patchy attempt at a beard. Worse, he wore a sweater and jeans, hiding his physique. 

“I haven’t had the chance to see the class breakup, but maybe you two will be in the same class.”

Kiyoshi hugged the duffle bag in his arms tighter, looking utterly terrified of that possibility. He cast another glance up at the closest Ravenhold Academy building and then immediately looked back down at his bare, cat-like feet. He could still feel Charlie’s glare on him.

The Raven paused, “Try to get along?”

“He’s the one who was stealing from us,” Charlie shot back, annoyed.

“Just things, we have plenty of things, we don’t need them.”

Kiyoshi felt his ears flatten a bit and his shoulders raise, “sorry.” He really didn’t earn this bag in his arms.

“It’s fine,” the Raven took a step closer, “Can you raise your head so I can take that collar off?”

As he waits for Kiyoshi to raise his chin, he asks his daughter, “Do you remember how I became the first Magpie?”

“I’ve heard the story a hundred times.” Though Kiyoshi wasn’t looking at her, he could hear her rolling her eyes. He raised his chin up to give Raven access to his collar. 

“Well, here it is again; I stole from the Raven, lifted his wallet in fact, and he took me under his wing. Stealing doesn’t make someone a bad person.” He explained, reaching for the collar and unlocking it.

“You weren’t his guest.” Charlie answered and Kiyoshi could still feel her heavy, heavy glare. 

Once the collar was off and Kiyoshi’s head cleared of the white noise, he took the opportunity to flee from that glare, turning invisible and almost teleporting away. This wasn’t where he belonged, he really shouldn’t be here. 

“Now, Kiyoshi,” Raven’s voice cuts through Kiyoshi’s thoughts, “If you run off you know this chance will pass by, just wait here with Charlie until the other students arrive, give Ravenhold a chance, give us a chance..”

“Does he deserve it?” Charlie asked, sulking a bit.

“Everyone deserves a second chance, sweetheart.”

Kiyoshi took a deep, steadying breath, thought of the way Aaron looked when he said he would join Ravenhold Academy, and let himself become visible. He hadn’t yet moved an inch.

Like the broken voice box of a toy that has only one line he repeated, “sorry.”

Raven smiled, “Good boy, I need to get in costume for the welcoming speech. It is technically my academy, but I’ll be back soon.”

Charlie walked slowly over to a bench overlooking the gates and sat down. 

Kiyoshi felt his chest and cheeks warm and his lips curl up into a smile at being called, ‘good boy’

After standing for a bit, watching the Raven leave, he jolted out of it, realizing Charlie had walked away. He teleported to her side when he spotted her at the bench.

Charlie wasn’t all that much physically, slightly under five feet tall, a young latina girl with tanned skin, she wore masculine clothing and her dark brown hair was only two inches long or so, but Kiyoshi had seen she packed a lot of fury and strength in such a small body… 

Charlie had taken out some cookies from her backpack, and was eating them absently. When Kiyoshi teleported to her side, her arm moved towards him and he flinched, expecting a hit. When he saw she was just holding out the pack of cookies to him, he gingerly took one. “Sor- thank you.”

Charlie sighed, “Stop apologizing,”

Kiyoshi lowered the cookie he was about to bring to his mouth, “sorry.”

Charlie facepalmed with an audible sound.

“I’m sorry!” Kiyoshi panicked, his hands hovering near Charlie’s face wanting to see if she had hurt herself but scared to touch her with his dirty hands.

“Relax,” She sighed again, “and don’t say sorry.”

Kiyoshi nodded uncertainly and carefully said, “okay.”

“Relax your shoulders, unclench your jaw,” She said, her tone less harsh than usual.

Forcing himself to physically relax was something Kiyoshi was used to, it made things… easier.

“Alright, now breathe in through the nose, but using your belly not your shoulder to draw air in,” Charlie said, “slow and deep, hold it three seconds, then let it out.”

Kiyoshi followed her instructions, breathing along with her. Instructions were easy, there was a clear right and wrong way to do things.

Charlie smiled at him for the first time, “There you go,” she pulled two cans of Dr. Pepper out of her backpack, opening one and handing Kiyoshi the other. 

Kiyoshi took it but didn’t open it, just holding the lukewarm soda in his hands

“You remind me of when I was young,” Charlie mumbled, “Afraid of everything.” 

“There are a lot of things to be afraid of.” Kiyoshi muttered his first full sentence of the day, as he rubbed his thumb along the edge of the can. 

“Then you have to become stronger,” Charlie stated, “So you don’t have to fear them.” 

I want to be a hero but I can do nothing but hurt people. Kiyoshi thought of Aaron’s words, of what he had to prove to him and nodded resolutely.

A few buses started to pull in through the gates, “About time,” Charlie chugged the rest of her drink and tossed it in a garbage bin.

Kiyoshi tucked the unopened can into his bag and zipped it back up.

“Alright, just join the group like we’re meant to be there,” Charlie said, “Dad will do his little speech and then they’ll call classes, so don’t panic.” 

As people poured out of the buses, Charlie melded into the crowd and Kiyoshi followed along behind her, holding on tightly to his resolution.

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